Where is the Hookshot in Ocarina of Time?
The Hookshot is in Dampé’s grave in Kakariko Graveyard, and you can only get it as adult Link. Go to the back row of graves along the north wall. Stand behind the leftmost headstone, the one with small yellow flowers in front and a patch of soft soil just to its left, and pull it back. Drop into the hole, talk to Dampé’s ghost and follow him through the tunnels. When you reach the last room, a large chest appears with the Hookshot inside.
You do not need to finish the race in under a minute. The first race has no time limit. You only need to stay close enough that the stone doors don’t shut in front of you. The one-minute time is for a later rematch, and its prize is a Piece of Heart.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Where | Dampé’s grave, Kakariko Graveyard (back row, far left) |
| Who | Adult Link only. As young Link this headstone won’t move |
| How | Follow Dampé’s ghost to the end of the race, then open the large chest |
| Time limit | None on the first race |
| Way out | Song of Time on the blue block, then up through the windmill |
| Used first | The dead tree at the Forest Temple entrance |
| Upgrade | Longshot (twice the reach), Water Temple |
Which gravestone is Dampé’s?
Many headstones in Kakariko Graveyard can be pulled back, but only four lead underground, and only one of those holds the Hookshot. If you opened a grave and found fairies or a chest that wasn’t the Hookshot, you were in one of the others.
| Grave | Where | How to open | Inside |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Dampé’s grave | Back row, far left, next to the soft soil | Pull the headstone as adult Link | Dampé’s race, Hookshot chest |
| 2. Fairy Fountain grave | Left-hand rows, the stone with flowers in front | Pull the headstone as adult Link, or at night as young Link | Hylian Shield chest; bomb the cracked wall for a fairy fountain |
| 3. ReDead grave | Right-hand rows | Pull the headstone as adult Link, or at night as young Link | ReDeads; play the Sun’s Song for a Piece of Heart chest |
| 4. Royal Family’s Tomb | The big tomb on the raised area at the back right | Play Zelda’s Lullaby on the Triforce mark | The Sun’s Song on the wall |
As young Link in the daytime, the boy playing in the graveyard stops you from pulling headstones. Come back at night, or as an adult.
Flowers alone won’t tell you which grave to pull. The Fairy Fountain grave also has flowers in front of it, at both ages. The surest sign is the position: Dampé’s headstone is the far-left stone of the back row, and the soft soil patch for a Magic Bean sits right beside it.
How the game points you there
None of the clues that send you to the graveyard name the Hookshot. Dampé only names it at the end of the race. The clues:
- Sheik, in the Temple of Time after you become an adult: “Unfortunately, equipped as you currently are, you cannot even enter the temple… you should head to Kakariko Village…”
- Navi repeats it: “To save the forest girl, you need another item… Head to Kakariko Village!”
- A villager in Kakariko says he saw Dampé’s ghost “sinking into his grave” while holding some kind of treasure.
- Dampé’s diary in the Gravekeeper’s Hut, read as adult Link: “Whoever reads this, please enter my grave. I will let you have my stretching, shrinking keepsake.” As young Link, the diary instead mentions a treasure that stretches and shrinks with a “BOING!”
The Sheikah Stone in the Temple of Time also has a hint movie for this step, called “A Grave Secret”. You can watch it in our Sheikah Stone hint list.
Dampé’s race: keep him in sight
When you talk to Dampé’s ghost at the bottom of the grave, he challenges you: “Let’s have a race! Follow me if you dare!” A timer starts, and he flies off through a winding tunnel. The rules:
- Stay behind him. You don’t need to overtake him. Dampé matches his speed to yours: he speeds up when you’re close and slows down when you fall far behind.
- Get through the doors. There are three stone doors. Each one opens when Dampé reaches it and stays open for only a few seconds. If a door closes before you’re through, Dampé laughs and you go back to the start of the race.
- Dodge the flames. Dampé drops flames behind him as he flies. Each one lands and burns on the floor for a moment, so step around it instead of running straight through.
- Finish in the last room. After the third door, follow him up into the final room. He says “You were very quick to be able to keep up with me!” and the large chest appears. Open it for the Hookshot.
Tips if you keep getting shut out:
- Roll on long straight sections (press A while running on 3DS). Rolling is faster than running.
- Don’t lock on to Dampé; you can’t, and trying slows you down. Just follow the corridor.
- If a flame hits you, get up and keep going. Losing a few seconds is fine as long as you reach the next door before it closes.
Getting out: the Song of Time block and the windmill
Go through the door behind the chest. A blue block with the Song of Time symbol blocks the way up. Play the Song of Time (3DS: Y, L, R, Y, L, R) to make it vanish, then climb into the Kakariko windmill.
There is a Piece of Heart on a ledge inside the windmill. Stand on the turning platform and jump to the ledge when it passes. Young Link can also knock it down with the Boomerang.
Why the Hookshot won’t stick
The red dot is a range finder. It shows where the hook will land if you fire, but it does not mean the hook will stick. If the surface isn’t one the Hookshot can grab, the chain hits it with a clink and comes straight back.
The hook only sticks to surfaces and objects the game marks as hookable. These are the round Hookshot targets, chests, and certain trees, posts, fences and other wooden surfaces. Not every wooden-looking thing works. Plain walls, rock and grass usually don’t, even when the red dot sits right on them.
On 3DS there is an extra hint: when you aim at something the hook can grab, a red ring appears around the red dot. If you see only the dot, the chain will bounce back.
What the Hookshot can grab
| Target | What happens |
|---|---|
| Hookshot targets, and hookable trees, branches, posts and fences | The hook sticks and pulls you to it |
| Treasure chests | The hook sticks and pulls you over |
| Hearts, Rupees and other items lying out of reach | The hook brings the item back to you |
| Gold Skulltulas | The hook kills them, then fire again to pull in the token |
| Most enemies | The hook stuns or damages them |
| Anything not marked as hookable (most walls, rock, grass) | The chain bounces off |
The Hookshot also has a reach limit. If the dot doesn’t appear at all, the target is too far away. Move closer, or come back later with the Longshot.
Aiming on 3DS
Put the Hookshot on any item button: X, Y, I or II. The game explains the controls when you get it: hold the item button, aim with the Circle Pad and release to fire.
- Motion control: while you aim, you can also tilt or turn the 3DS to move the view. If that gets in the way, turn it off in the Options menu (MOTION CONTROL: OFF, “Moving system does not change view”).
- If the view drifts while motion control is on, hold the system still in front of you, or lay it flat, for a moment to recentre it.
- Underwater, wear the Iron Boots to sink, then fire from the bottom. On 3DS the boots go on one of the four item buttons like any other item, so plan which slot they take.
Use it: the Forest Temple entrance
The Hookshot’s first job is getting you into the Forest Temple. At the far end of the Sacred Forest Meadow, after Sheik teaches you the Minuet of Forest, the temple steps are broken and the doorway is out of reach. Look up at the dead tree to the left of the entrance. Aim at its branch, fire, and the chain pulls you up. Walk along the branch and drop onto the ledge at the top of the steps.
You don’t need bombs or anything else here. If the chain bounces back, you’re aiming at the stone wall behind the tree. Aim at the wooden branch itself.
The one-minute rematch and the Piece of Heart
When you get the Hookshot, Dampé says: “I live here now, so come back again sometime. I’ll give you something cool!” Go back into his grave and talk to him to race again. In the rematch:
- Finish in 1:00 or less and you get a Piece of Heart. A time of exactly 1:00 still counts.
- Finish slower and you get a Red Rupee (20 Rupees). You can try again as many times as you like.
- Dampé is faster this time, and the doors close sooner after he passes.
- The Piece of Heart is only given once. After that, every finish gives a Red Rupee.
- The sign at the start shows your best time.
Tips for beating one minute:
- Roll through every straight and take corners tight.
- Avoid every flame. Getting knocked down costs more time than going around one.
- Look out for wooden torch posts along the route. Hooking one can cut a corner, and the Longshot reaches more of them.
Hookshot vs Longshot
 Hookshot |  Longshot | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Dampé’s grave, Kakariko Graveyard | Water Temple, the chest after you beat Dark Link (normal mode; Master Quest moves it) |
| Reach | Standard | Twice as far |
| Item slot | Its own slot | Replaces the Hookshot in the same slot |
| In-game text | “A spring-loaded chain that fires and retracts. Hook a distant target to zip there in a flash.” | “You found the Longshot! It’s an upgraded Hookshot that extends twice as far!” |
If a target is clearly made of wood but the dot never appears, it’s out of range for the Hookshot. Several spots in the Water Temple and later dungeons are designed for the Longshot.
3DS, N64, Switch Online and Switch 2
| Version | Where the Hookshot is | How you aim |
|---|---|---|
| Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS) | Dampé’s grave | Item button (X, Y, I or II), Circle Pad, optional motion control |
| N64 and Nintendo Switch Online | Dampé’s grave | C button and the Control Stick |
| Master Quest (3DS) | Dampé’s grave, but the whole world is mirrored left to right | Same as 3DS |
| Nintendo Switch 2 (from November 5, 2026) | Not confirmed yet | Button or motion aiming, chosen in the Options menu |
In 3DS Master Quest, everything on this page is flipped: Dampé’s grave is the far-right stone of the back row, and the Forest Temple tree is to the right of the door. The Longshot is also in a different Water Temple room there.
On the N64 and Switch Online versions there is no motion aiming. You hold the C button, aim with the stick and release to fire. The race, the doors and the one-minute rematch work the same way.
FAQ
Do I have to beat Dampé in under a minute to get the Hookshot?
No. The first race has no time limit; you only have to keep up so the doors don’t close on you. The one-minute time is for the rematch, which gives a Piece of Heart.
Can young Link get or use the Hookshot?
No. Dampé’s headstone only moves for adult Link, and the Hookshot is an adult item.
The red dot is on the target. Why does the chain come back?
The dot only shows where the hook will hit. It sticks only to surfaces the game marks as hookable, such as targets, chests and certain trees, posts and fences. On 3DS, a red ring around the dot means the target will hold.
I pulled a grave and found fairies. What went wrong?
That was the Fairy Fountain grave, which has flowers in front just like Dampé’s (the fountain itself is behind a wall you have to bomb). Dampé’s grave is the far-left headstone of the back row, beside the soft soil patch.
How do I get into the Forest Temple?
Hookshot the branch of the dead tree to the left of the entrance in the Sacred Forest Meadow (to the right in Master Quest), walk along it and drop onto the ledge by the door.
How do I get out of Dampé’s grave?
Play the Song of Time at the blue block behind the chest room and climb up into the Kakariko windmill.
Related pages
- Every item in Ocarina of Time 3D
- All 12 songs with 3DS buttons, including the Song of Time
- Interactive map with every chest and Piece of Heart in Kakariko
- Sheikah Stone hint movies